Spa 24H: BMW qualifying report

Successful qualifying: Team BMW Motorsport claims second and sixth on the Spa 24 Hours grid.

Spa-Francorchamps, 30th July 2010. Team BMW Motorsport secured promising grid positions for the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps (BE). Dirk Werner (DE) set the second-fastest time at the wheel of the no. 79 BMW M3 GT2, completing a 2:22.549-minute lap. Pedro Lamy (PT) finished sixth in the no. 78 car. Gianmaria Bruni (IT) claimed pole position in a Ferrari F430 GT.

Several heavy rain showers had made for difficult conditions at the "Circuit de Spa- Francorchamps" over the course of the day. The changeable conditions continued into the first qualifying session, where conditions changed rapidly within just a few minutes on several occasions. The weather conditions eased somewhat into the two night sessions, during which the Team BMW Motorsport drivers had the chance to fight for their grid positions on a dry track.

The Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours will start on Sunday at 16:00hrs. Dirk Werner will share the driving of BMW M3 GT2 (number 79) with Dirk Muller (DE) and Dirk Adorf (DE). Car number 78 will be driven by Pedro Lamy, Jorg Muller (DE) and Uwe Alzen (DE).

Charly Lamm (Team Principal):
"A very intense day with five sessions on the track lies behind us. We can be satisfied with results, as conditions were far from easy today. Rain showers caused difficult mixed conditions in the first qualifying session. It was very positive that we didn't experience any major problems and that the drivers weren't involved in any incidents. In the dry we are able to fight for top positions, as it is reflected by our grid positions. The qualifying results will give our whole crew a major boost."

Dirk Werner (Car Number 79):
"Obviously I'm very happy with my lap. It's always great to start a race from the first row -- and it's even better at such a classic race as the Spa 24 Hours. The car was working perfectly. Now we can prepare for the start on Saturday with a lot of confidence. Of course the weather might be a big factor during the race. But today we saw that we are definitely competitive in dry conditions."

Pedro Lamy (Car Number 78):
"On my quick lap I hit some traffic, and the track was quite dirty. But still we were able to make an improvement in the last session of the day. I went out as one of the first drivers in qualifying three, being absolutely fired up to set a good lap. This worked out from the word go, the car was just great. For a driver it's important to find a good rhythm here despite not spending too much time on the track. I think all of our drivers managed this very well today."

-source: bmw